Beyond gaming and shopping, the metaverse is poised to reshape the fan experience, giving sports enthusiasts new and immersive ways to connect with their favourite athletes and teams. 

A new study led by the University of Oxford has found evidence that kissing evolved in the common ancestor of humans and other large apes around 21 million years ago, and that Neanderthals likely engaged in kissing too. The findings have been published today (19 November) in Evolution and Human Behavior.

Retailers don’t need big financial incentives to get consumers to return used clothing—but they do need the right message. A new peer-reviewed study in the INFORMS journal Manufacturing & Service Operations Management finds that simply telling consumers their returned items will be “kept out of landfills” significantly increases participation in take-back programs. But when retailers disclose that they may resell those items for profit, participation plummets.